Random Musings
by cjgwilliams
Summary: A series of scenes that may one day grow into stories themselves or will just sit around gathering dust. Some have actual plots, others are just scenes. Many of them were already posted to my Tumblr page. Each chapter will have the rating in the title. These are unedited by a beta editor so please, be kind.
1. Tobias Takes Leadership (T)

This was just a scene that came to me as I wondered what Divergent would have been like if Four had actually taken a leadership position. There's not much more to the plot than that!

xXx

I walk down the dark, cold hallway towards the Leadership office. People hustle past me but I barely notice them. There's a buzz in the air these couple of weeks before Choosing Day. Dauntless is usually bustling with activity but this anticipation is different. Parents are nervous, hiding it behind the certainty that this life, this faction, is the best, the only way to live in the city. Teenagers are anxious, wondering about the test, what it will tell them about who they are. The Leaders are huddling together, planning for the new initiate class. Although I'm not a Leader, I've been asked. Initially, I turned Max down when he approached me but he told me to think it over. I have until Choosing Day to make up my mind. Again, another choice that will determine my future. It seems to be a pattern.

I pause briefly before the door to the Leadership office. I'm not fully sure why I was asked to be a part of the training planning but I think it is Max's way of hoping I'll change my mind about becoming a Leader. I open the door and survey the room. Max looks up and smiles. He's pleased I've come. The other leaders, Opal, Michael and Paul also smile and nod. The only one who isn't happy is Eric. He's frowning slightly so I smirk at him. As expected, his frown deepens and I'm filled with satisfaction. Needling Eric is one of the few joys in my life and has been since we were initiates.

"Okay, everybody, let's get started." Max announces. We sit and Max begins discussing the training. It is all familiar, weapons, hand to hand, strength training. Who will oversee what? I barely listen until Eric makes his suggestion.

"I think we should up the competition between the initiates. Heighten the tension. Make them work harder for it."

I sit up straight when I realize Max is intrigued. "What would you suggest?"

Eric looks pleased at Max's interest. Figures; he lobbied hard for the leadership position when I didn't immediately take it after initiation and has been trying to prove he was the right choice ever since. "Those lowest ranked should become Factionless. This will encourage the initiates to do their best. It will force them to work as hard as they can. The Choosing Ceremony tells us nothing about their ability. It isn't enough to choose us. They have to be brave enough to fight to the death."

Opal is frowning. "We already have those mini-tests. Getting on the train, getting off, jumping into Dauntless. If they can't do that, they'll know right away this isn't the life for them."

"It isn't enough." Eric argues. "We are responsible for every life in this city. Our people have to be the best, the strongest, the bravest. We have to be willing to hold the line in case anything happens." He looks at each of us and I do the same. Max and Michael look convinced. Paul and Opal less so but willing to listen. Eric continues. "We should also eliminate as we go along. Make hand to hand a real competition. Have them fight until one physically can't do it anymore."

"Wait a minute." Paul holds up a hand. "We'll end up with initiates in the injury ward all the time. Initiation will last forever." He runs the infirmary and I can see why he'd hate that. He rarely has enough help so a lot either falls on him or he has to send people over to the hospital run by Erudite.

"No it won't." Eric continues smoothly. "If the initiate keeps losing, they will drop in the ranks, eventually become factionless. If they aren't strong enough to win here, how can they protect us out there?"

Paul shrugs and I can see he won't rock the boat. So I will. "This will never work." I say quietly.

Eric stares daggers at me. "Why?" Max asks.

I shrug, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. There has been something brewing here in Dauntless over the last few months and Eric's at the center of it. I've noticed more and more Erudite here, meeting with Max. And Eric. Considering Eric is a transfer, from Erudite, I just don't trust it.

"It is our responsibility to keep order among the factionless. We're just putting more angry, disgruntled people out there for us to manage. Plus, they won't be initiates forever. Those that make it will be Dauntless. They will need to trust one another. Having them compete against each other will make it so much harder for them to work together after this is over. They'll always be looking to plunge a knife in their fellow faction member's back. If we create disorder here, how can we keep order out there?"

Eric's face is flushed. He's clearly angry. "We need these transfers to be tough."

My eyes meet his. "Our transfer class didn't seem to have any problem. We even made it to the top of our class." He practically growls. He hates being reminded that we are both transfers. And that I was first in our class. This time, I'm the one with the smirk. Eric visibly takes a deep breath as he realizes all eyes are on him.

"I don't think we should foster weakness." He says. "We are soldiers. We need them to be willing to march into fire, if necessary."

"We also need them to be smart," I snap back. "Erudite doesn't have the lock on brains." Eric's eyes narrow as I continue. "These initiates need to be able to handle what happens on the street. We can't beat the hell out of everyone."

Max gauges the look on all of our faces. "Let's reconvene tomorrow." He suggests. "I think we need to consider everything. We still have a couple of days."

xXx

I stand with Zeke and Shauna in the Pit, passing around a brown bottle of Old Jim's best. "I just don't see how this is possibly a good idea." I scowl and take a pull from the bottle. It burns like the fires of hell down my throat, warming my chest, and, quite possibly, eating my stomach from the inside. As soon as I'd met up with them, I'd blurted out Eric's whole plan.

Shauna drinks and passes the bottle to Zeke. "Like we haven't known since initiation that Eric's an ass." She said bluntly. For Eric and Shauna, it was hate at first sight.

Zeke drank and sways slightly. He tried to focus on me, squinting one eye. I wonder, not for the first time, what in the hell Old Jim puts in his white liquor. Then again, I've often wondered, usually the day after, why the hell we keep drinking the stuff.

"So why don't you do something about it?" Zeke asks, pronouncing his words carefully, a sure sign that he's drunk.

I frown at him as he passes Shauna the bottle. "What do you mean me?"

"You're the one they asked to be Leader." He leans slightly on Shauna, reaching for the bottle. She holds it away from him, turning her head to drink. She hands it to me.

"He's got a point, Four." She said. "There's no reason for you to turn it down. You were top in our initiate class. Amar wanted you for leadership and so does Max. If you want to keep Eric in check, you should become a leader yourself."

Maybe they are right. Maybe I've been thinking about this Leader thing the wrong way. I've been thinking of how I can avoid facing Marcus. How I can avoid dealing with my own few fears. But maybe that's wrong. Maybe I should think about the good I can do. I was Abnegation, now I'm Dauntless. I may have chosen this for the wrong reasons but I've fit into this life. I've been good at this life. Maybe by being selfless, I can begin to be brave. Maybe then I can reconcile those pieces of myself that never quite fit together.

I thrust the bottle at Zeke, who grabs it and downs the last of it as I turn. "Hey, where're you going?" He slurs.

I grin at them over my shoulder. "To see Max."

xXx

At first, all I register is a gray blur. I reach out a hand and grasp hers, small, warm, delicate. I pull her across the net and help her down. Wisps of blonde hair frame her face and her big, gray eyes meet mine, glittering like diamonds. I think I lose my breath for a moment. She's not classically pretty but in that moment only one word comes to mind. Beautiful.


	2. The Kayak Trip (M)

I suck at angst, I think we all know that. So, to challenge myself, I tried to write something a little less happy. It didn't quite work which is why this sat unfinished. Inopinion gave me the idea for the setting...

xXx

Tobias wondered why in the hell he agreed to go kayaking. Well, he supposed, it was better than bungee jumping, which was Uriah's first suggestion. There was no fucking way Tobias was doing that shit. Tobias pushed his sunglasses up his nose and sighed as he leaned back against his jeep. He didn't particularly want to go but he'd been so busy with his job for the Senator, he'd been neglecting his honorary little brother and he felt guilty.

Then the other reason for going pulled up. Tris Prior climbed out of the car, laughing. Her honey blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced merrily as she pulled her small backpack out of the back. When she stood and turned around, she spotted him. She gave him a flirty smile.

And that was why he was going, he thought. He would not miss any opportunity to spend time with her. As he watched her hug Uriah and Marlene, he felt himself sighing. He was in love with her. He knew it. But she was only having fun with him. This was supposed to be easy, casual, just friends with benefits. The more time he spent with her, however, the more he interested he was.

And the sex was spectacular.

Things were going to come to a head soon. He just wasn't sure how much longer he could go without telling her how he felt, which he knew would be a disaster of epic proportions. The previous night, not long after they finished making love, he'd casually mentioned she should stay the night and they could carpool to the river together. She'd gotten nervous, told staying was too much, and had left. Staying the night, or anything remotely resembling commitment, had been strictly forbidden by her but Tobias was finding it harder and harder to keep to her rule. He'd slipped up more than once recently but the previous night was the first time she'd bailed like that. And now, he didn't know where they stood.

"Hey what's with the long face?" Zeke asked, clapping him on the shoulder. Luckily, Tobias' sunglasses covered his face so Zeke couldn't tell where he was looking. He turned to Zeke and pasted on a scowl.

"Why do I let your brother talk me into these ridiculous things?" He asked.

Zeke laughed heartily and Tobias figured he'd successfully distracted him. "Because you have too high a guilt quotient."

Tobias had to chuckle. "I guess you have a point." He looked at his best friend who was dressed in his park ranger uniform and curved his lips into a smirk. "So, Ranger Rick, are you sorry you're missing out on this?"

"Kiss ass." Zeke said. "At least you'll have a good day for this." He said, looking up at the crystal blue sky. He shielded his eyes as the van pulled up which would take them up the river to where they'd start their excursion.

Tris watched Tobias and Zeke walk over to the van and shake hands with the tour guides. She'd hurt him last night and she knew it. But their relationship had taken a turn she didn't expect. There was so much more to Tobias than the good looks that had originally attracted her to him. Something she hadn't expected. They needed to pull back. Re-evaluate. It wasn't that Tris didn't want to be with him, she just wasn't she was ready for all this.

Her best friend and roommate, Christina, hobbled over to her. "Wish I could go with you." She grimaced, looking down at her walking cast. She'd been the unfortunate person at the bottom of an escalator when a kid in a rush to make the train had knocked over three people.

Tris slung her arm around Christina. "It sucks that you can't." She said honestly.

Christina looked over at her shrewdly. "You just want a buffer so you don't have to talk to Tobias. Look at it this way, you won't have to talk to him in the boat."

Tris wanted to object but she'd ended up confiding in Christina last night so there was really no place for Tris to hide. "I don't know what to say to him."

Christina sighed. She thought Tris and Tobias could work as a couple eventually but for now, Tris was just going to hurt him. Frankly, the whole thing surprised her a little. She would not have pegged Tris for a friends with benefits sort of thing but she'd jumped in full throttle with Tobias. Unfortunately, for Tris, Tobias had turned out to be exactly the kind of guy she wanted. "Look, just be honest. You and he have changed the rules and now you're backing out. Re-iterate that you just want to have sex. If he can't keep to that, you walk. Boom. Problem solved." She stared at her best friend. "Unless you want more."

Tris shrugged. "I don't know what I want." She said quietly.

Christina shrugged back. "Grow a pair, Tris. You aren't being fair to him otherwise."

Tris sighed and nodded. She knew Christina was right but something was holder her back from Tobias. She watched as he helped pull the boats down and get them into the water. At least they wouldn't have to talk while they rowed. She could worry about everything else later.

xXx

Tobias hit small waterfall and just as the kayak began tilting downward, he felt it catch on something. Before he could figure out what it was, the kayak began tipping and water closed over his head. He was momentarily disoriented and he kicked out, hoping to make it to the surface. His shin connected with something hard and pain radiated up his leg as it dragged against something ragged. He swallowed a little bit of water but then broke the surface of the river, sputtering. He saw the paddle floating near him and grabbed it to keep it from going further downriver. Luckily, the kayak was bobbing nearby. He swam over to it, grateful that beneath the small waterfall, the water was relatively calm. He towed the kayak over to a nearby rock. Perching on the rock, he ran his hand over his face, wiping the water off of it as best he could. He flipped the kayak over and carefully got back into it.

Pushing off, he rowed swiftly until he'd caught up with the rest of his friends. He realized he'd lost his sunglasses and sighed. At least they were cheap.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Uriah called.

"Yeah, fine!" Tobias called back, lifting his hand in a wave. His leg stung like a bitch and Tobias was glad the ride was almost over.

About 15 minutes later, each boat pulled up to the dock. Tobias carefully made his way out of the kayak, gratefully handing the paddle to the overenthusiastic boating company employee. He looked down and saw that he'd scraped the hell out of his shin. It wasn't bleeding anymore but skin was reddened and ragged. He sighed. With his luck, he'd pick up some rare bacteria that lived only in this part of the Potomac River and he'd end up with gangrene or some shit.

Uriah came over and clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Seriously, you okay?"

Tobias forced himself to smile. "Sure. I must've got caught on a rock under the wave. Bad part about it is I swallowed some river water."

Uriah laughed. "Shit, man I'm surprised you aren't glowing green! Come one, Christina brought beer. We gotta kill those germs with alcohol."

Tobias actually laughed. "Let me go change. I can't sit here in these wet clothes." He limped off towards his jeep, grateful he'd remembered to throw an extra change of clothes and a towel in the back. He didn't notice Tris' eyes on him as he walked away.

He was glad he'd parked the jeep with the back towards the trees. With the back door open, he'd be able to change in relative privacy. He unbuttoned the side pocket of his khaki shorts and fished out his keys. Opening the trunk, he grabbed the towel and ran it over his face and hair. The day was turning out pretty disappointing and he contemplated just saying the hell with it and going home. He decided against it, figuring it was be really obvious that something was wrong. He could handle a couple of sandwiches and a beer.

He stripped off his shorts and shirt, wringing each of them out ruefully. Even his boxers were wet. He sighed and dried himself off. A footfall sounded behind him and looked up to see Tris coming towards him, a white box in her hand. Tobias stifled another sigh as he looked at her, not in the mood to deal with any more negativity.

"I brought a first aid kit." She said quietly.

"I'm good, Tris." He said, tossing the towel in the trunk and turning his back to her. He felt her hand on his back and he tried not to shudder.

"Come on, Tobias. Let me help."

He bit back a sarcastic comment and just shrugged. "Really, I'm good." Glancing over his shoulder, he said, "Look, I've got to put on some clothes."

She rolled her eyes. "I saw more last night." She taunted. Their eyes met and clashed. He recognized the stubborn tilt of her chin and the glint in her gray eyes. She wasn't going to bend.

"Fine." He grumped and sat on the edge of the car. It was easier to just let her play nurse then she'd leave him alone. Around the others, he could just pretend she wasn't there until he could make a plausible escape.

She bent in front of him and opened the first aid kit. She frowned and she pulled out an antiseptic wipe. "You banged this up pretty good." He was silent and Tris tried not to sigh. "It's gonna bruise." She said. Again he was silent. She dabbed the antiseptic wipe over the long scrapes. Tobias sucked in a breath as it stung.

"I'm sorry, Tobias." She said quietly.

He knew she wasn't talking about his shin but he didn't want her to be sorry. Tris wasn't in love and he was. There wasn't anything either of them could do about that. "It's okay, Tris." She looked up at him through her lashes in disbelief. "Seriously, it's okay. I know you just wanted casual so if you want to stop, I get it."

She dropped the wipe on the ground and put her hands on his thighs. "I don't want to stop, Tobias." Running her hand up and down his thigh, she stared at him. "What about you?"

"Neither do I." He heard himself say. She stood and leaned into him so he could wrap his arms around her waist and hold her tightly to him. Tris pulled back, staring into his sapphire blue eyes as he smiled at her a little, leaning forward to brush his lips across hers. "We're okay." He was lying but he didn't want to give her up just yet. He knew he was going to crash and burn eventually but with her body pressed against his, his breath mixing with hers, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Tris smiled a little against his lips, his half naked body stirring all manner of wicked thoughts in her head. "You've had a hard day." She said, reaching for his boxers. This was the only part of her feelings about Tobias that weren't confusing. She wanted him, completely, and for now, that was all she needed to know.

"Tris, what…"

"Shh." She urged him to raise his hips, which he did in spite of himself. She ran her hands across him, loving the way he lengthened and thickened under her ministrations.

His eyes drifted closed and he stifled a groan. He felt himself start to lean back but then sat up straight.  
"We can't do this here."

Tris knelt down in front of him, a wicked smile on her lips. Watching him, she leaned forward and licked his tip. He drew in a breath and Tris smirked. She ran her tongue around him again, teasing.

"Jesus!" He gasped.

She winked at him and took him in her mouth. Tobias could barely breathe feeling her warm, wet mouth enveloping him. She wrapped her fist around his base, unable to take all of him in her mouth at once. She set up a rhythm, moving her hand up and down in time with her mouth. His hips began moving in time with her movements and he desperately tried to keep quiet. The others weren't terribly far away and Tobias had no desire to make enough noise to draw anyone's attention. He bit his lip so hard he was afraid he was going to bite clear through it. When she tightened her mouth around him, her tongue tickling his underside, he grabbed her shoulders and wrenched her away.

She looked at him, her eyes flashing with smug pride. She loved that she could unravel him faster than anyone she'd ever known. "Condom?" She asked.

"Wallet." He groped behind him for his khaki shorts and fumbled, pulling the wallet out of the pocket. As he grabbed the condom, Tris pulled her denim shorts and underwear down, pulling them off with her slip-on sneakers. Tobias hastily pulled on the condom as Tris climbed into the trunk, straddling him. Bracing herself on his shoulders, she eased herself down on top of him. Staring into her eyes, he flashed her a quick smile. "We need to be quick." He mumbled, his lips brushing across hers. His tongue snaked out and licked her bottom lip.

Tris grinned. "Oh I don't think that'll be a problem." She said, lifting slightly and sliding back down. Tobias grasped her hips hard in his hands and pushed up as she moved down. Their lips clung together, swallowing each other's gasps and moans. Tris reached up and grasped the padded bar above her head, giving her leverage to grind down harder on him. Tobias' hands glided under her shirt, tweaking her nipples through her bra. He really wished he could pull them into his mouth but they didn't have time for that. That could come later.

Tris loved the feel of his hands running up and down her back. She was getting closer and closer to the edge. Nobody but Tobias could do this to her, she realized deliriously. He made her feel so much and made her want so much more. Tobias' lips left her lips to trail down her throat, then back up to behind her ear. He sucked gently and Tris gasped, dropping her hands to his shoulders, squeezing them tightly as she tumbled into oblivion. Her soft, desperate moans went straight to his head and he gripped her hips tightly, releasing himself inside her.

Tris wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. There was a soft smile on his lips. As she stared at him, a wave of tenderness, followed by confusion washed over her. She hated the idea that they had to separate, to go back to their friends. All she wanted was to stay here with him. Did that mean she loved him? She just wasn't sure but she could not imagine her life without him; at least not right now. She cupped his cheek in her hand, suddenly feeling unsure as she realized she was now in uncharted territory. "This is more than casual." She whispered.

He kissed her wrist. "Yeah, it is."

She leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. "I'm scared." She admitted.

Tobias ran his hands soothingly up and down her back. "We'll figure it out, Tris."

Tris squeezed her eyes closed. "I don't want to hurt you."

He pushed her back so he could look at her. He smoothed her hair away from her face. He couldn't think of anything else to say so he just whispered, "I know you don't." She could, they both knew it, but maybe, just maybe, they could make this work.

Sighing, Tris climbed off him and they dressed quickly. Tobias closed the door to the jeep while Tris picked up the first aid kit and the trash. Tobias held his hand out to her. Tris took it hesitantly. He squeezed her hand. "We'll figure it out." He repeated.

"Can I go home with you?" She asked. "We can talk."

He nodded. "Sure." They walked back towards their friends, neither of them sure where they were going but sure they were going there together.


	3. The One That I Want (T)

I have a deep and abiding love for the musical, Grease. This came from a conversation with friends while I was watching the recent live-action version of Grease on TV. I expected it to be a one-shot but it just never really clicked. It's short and sweet but just didn't work too well when I tried to write around it. Oh well.

xXx

Tris made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a red plastic cup and filling it almost to the brim with water. She drank it down quickly, hoping it would cool her off. The skin-tight, black, faux leather pants she wore were a little on the warm side and she thought about ditching the pink satin jacket but it completed the costume so she just couldn't. She smiled when Lauren walked in. "Hi Lauren!"

"Hey!" Lauren gave her a quick hug. "Oh you look fabulous, Tris. Or should I say Sandy?"

They laughed together. Tris touched the springy curls she'd struggled to put into her hair. "You just don't know what it took to get Christina to agree to loan this jacket to me! When she said she was doing the costumes for Grease, I just knew I had to be Sandy for Halloween."

Lauren filled a red cup with water too. "And you and Robert look so adorable together. Danny and Sandy is the perfect couples costume." She sipped, looking at Tris over the top of the cup. Tris started to reply but Lauren cut her off. "Listen, I'm glad I caught you alone. Would you be super pissed if I asked Tobias out?"

Tris stared at Lauren incredulously. "Uh, yeah."

Lauren sighed. "Look, I'm not sure how long you guys have been broken up but –"

Tris frowned. "Lauren, what the hell are you talking about? Tobias and I didn't break up!" Tris put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend.

It was Lauren's turn to frown, confused. "But you and Robert are together."

Tris shook her head. "No we're not."

"But, you're in a couples' costume! And you two have been together almost all night!"

Tris sighed. "It was just a coincidence. Tobias is also Danny Zuko. He was running late from his mom's and didn't get a chance to stop by home and pick up his leather jacket, that's all."

Lauren's cheeks flared red. When she'd heard the whispers from people about Tris and Robert being together, she'd thought she might finally have a shot at one of the most gorgeous guys she'd ever seen. "I'm so sorry, honey. It's just…you guys were dressed alike and Tobias looked so super pissed, I just assumed."

Tris felt her temper begin to dip and she moved her head from side to side, trying to ease the growing tension. If Lauren had thought that, what else had people been saying tonight? "No, Lauren, Tobias and I are definitely still together."

"I'm sorry. Really. Listen, I'm gonna go…" Lauren beat a hasty exit, her cheeks still flaming red. Tris sighed. She knew Tobias was hot, that was completely obvious, but it was certainly going to be awkward now that she knew at least one of her friends would jump at dating him given the first opportunity.

Tris slowly walked out of the kitchen, her eyes tracking the crowded room until she spotted her boyfriend. Tobias was standing over by the wall, leaning against it, ostensibly talking to Amar and George but Tris could tell he wasn't really listening. His brow was deeply creased and he wasn't talking. He glanced up as Robert walked by him, laughing, and Tris saw Tobias's jaw tighten from across the room. She shook her head. She couldn't believe she'd failed to notice how much the attention she and Robert had gotten bothered him. She straightened her shoulders and a slow grin crossed her face. She knew just how to get him to relax…

"So, I told Tori if she really wanted to get Nita to show up on time, just have Tobias conduct the staff meeting naked." George said earnestly.

Tobias nodded. "Yeah." He said distractedly. Then he blinked. "Wait, what?"

George and Amar burst out laughing. George elbowed Amar in the side. "I told you he wasn't paying attention."

Amar nodded. "Fine. You win." Amar took a drink of his beer. "So, what's eating you?"

Tobias shrugged. "Nothing."

George rolled his eyes. "So you want to conduct the staff meeting naked?"

Tobias scowled. "Oh fuck you."

Amar started to reply when he spotted Tris making a beeline for them. "Hey, Tris." He said when she approached.

"Hi guys." Tris smiled at him but her attention was on Tobias. Up close, she could see how agitated he was; he was practically oozing stress from every pore. Well, she'd take care of that. She reached out and grabbed Tobias' arm. "Mind if I borrow him?" She asked.

Amar shrugged. "Suit yourself but he's being antisocial."

Tobias scowled but Tris just laughed. "I can handle him." She said as she pulled Tobias away.

George looked at Amar. "Sex?" He asked.

Amar nodded. "Absolutely. Sex."


	4. Until We Meet Again (T)

I'll be honest, there's only a vague storyline to go along with this. I imagine Tris and Tobias having been neighbors as children until his parents' divorce and they lost touch. Tris becomes a famous singer, pursuing her dead mother's dream for her. After collapsing from exhaustion, Andrew arranges for her to stay at a house in the Virginia mountains, hiring Tobias to cook for her but also to keep an eye on her. They fall in love but Tris goes back on the road. I'm a complete romantic so, of course, they eventually come back together. Maybe I'll get back to this one day but I've got another similar idea so this may be abandoned in favor of that one. Who knows!

xXx

"Tobias, there's a client in your office."

Tobias looked up from his sauce, a deep scowl on his face. "Can't you handle it, Zeke? I'm in the middle of something."

Zeke shrugged. "I tried. She insisted on talking to you and only you."

Tobias groaned. This was the downside to the notoriety he'd received after his relationship with Tris. "All right." He handed the wooden spoon to Shauna. "Keep stirring this. Be careful it doesn't break." Shauna nodded and took over stirring.

Tobias pulled off his waist apron and unbuttoned his chef's coat. He sighed, trying to stifle his annoyance at being interrupted while perfecting his beef burgundy cream sauce. It happened sometimes that a client would insist on meeting with him and him alone. When Tris had credited her return to the stage to Tobias in an interview with Vanity Fair, the paparazzi had descended, wanting to know more about the mysterious man who'd spent a couple of months with the famous singer. He hadn't granted any interviews but that hadn't stopped the gossip rags. On the up side, it had given him the promotional boost he'd needed when he opened his restaurant a month ago. Tobias knew that some people came into his restaurant out of sheer curiosity - could Tris Prior's boy toy really cook? - but he also knew they would keep coming back because his food was good. The first reviews of his restaurant had just been published and the critics were raving.

He plastered a smile on his face and opened the door to his office. The petite blonde stood when she heard the door and turned to him. Tobias froze, his hand on the door knob. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. The blonde smiled at him. "Hello, Tobias."

"Tris." He said quietly.

xXx

 _Nine Months Ago…_

The first thing Tris saw when she opened her eyes was the bright sunshine. The drapes hadn't been fully closed so she could see the evergreen tree outside her window, it's dark green needles sprinkled lightly with powdery white snow. She smiled at the peaceful little slice of nature, luxuriating in the soft bed. She stretched then froze. There shouldn't be a peaceful little slice of nature outside her window. Her hotel room overlooked the stately architecture of Washington, DC. Tris took a deep breath as the snatches of the last 48 hours slowly came back to her. The lightheaded feeling she'd gotten when she stood; black clouds drifting over her eyes; waking, finally, to the steady beep of a heart monitor in the emergency room, her father pacing outside of her hospital room, angrily talking into his cell phone.

Flopping back into the fluffy pillows, she groaned. The gossip sites were going to go nuts over the news of her collapse backstage. Rumors of a nervous breakdown had dogged her heels since the beginning of the tour and being rushed to the hospital, unconscious, was only going to fuel those rumors. She wasn't depressed, Tris thought grumpily. What she was, was exhausted. She'd been on tour for the better part of a year, after putting out back to back albums, plus writing and singing the theme to an Oscar nominated film. Add to that the stress of her on again/off again relationship with her manager, and Tris' body had finally reached its limit.

Pushing the warm blanket off her legs, Tris decided she couldn't hide away from the world all day. She swung her legs out of bed and stood carefully. There was no dizziness, no black clouds threatening to overwhelm her. Pleased, she slowly walked into the bathroom. There was a silky gray robe, a match to the pajamas she wore, hanging on the hook behind the door. She pulled it on and wandered down the hallway. She could faintly hear noises from the rooms in front of her and caught the scent of coffee. She followed the scent to the kitchen and stopped short when she saw the man deftly chopping vegetables. It wasn't her father, as she'd expected.

He looked up at her and smiled faintly. "So, you're awake." He said. Tris just nodded dumbly. He was incredibly handsome, with chiseled features, a hooked nose and the most striking dark blue eyes. He gestured with his head. "Take a seat. Your dad asked me to look out for you."

Tris slid onto one of the stools at the counter. There was something familiar about him but she couldn't place it. As he turned to pour her a mug of coffee, she studied him. He was tall, well over six feet, with wavy dark hair and golden skin. She admired the smooth muscles of his back as he turned to her, placing the white mug in front of her.

"Thanks," She murmured as he reached for a small pitcher of milk and put it in front of her.

"Breakfast will be ready in just a minute." He sliced a pat of butter and dropped it into a sizzling skillet.

Tris doctored her coffee with milk and sugar and watched in fascination as the man dumped red onions, garlic, red and green peppers and mushrooms into the skillet. He sautéed them with easy efficiency before reaching for a bowl next to the stove. With a few deft movements of his wrist, he beat eggs and poured them into the skillet over the cooking vegetables.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Tris cleared her throat. "So, where's my dad?"

Without turning around, he sprinkled cheese on the eggs and carefully folded one side over it. "In Washington getting the rest of your stuff."

"Oh." She stared into the creamy brown liquid, hoping for something to say. She knew him, she knew she did, she could see recognition in those incredible blue eyes of his. She'd been so lost in thought that she jumped slightly when a plate was placed in front of her. Her eyes snapped up and she stared at him.

"You need to eat, Tris." The familiar man said gently.

"I'm fine."

He snorted and turned to pour a mug of coffee for himself. "If that were true, you wouldn't be here."

Tris flushed a little at the reminder. He clearly knew what had happened so she had to assume it was common knowledge. She sighed and stared at his back. Something about his voice stirred her memory.

He turned back to her and stared at her, leaning on the counter opposite her. "You don't remember me." Amusement tinged his voice as he sipped.

She poked at the omelet with her fork. "It'll come to me." She mumbled, embarrassed. He laughed and Tris' head snapped up. His laugh jogged something loose in her mind. "T – Tobias? Tobias Eaton?" She whispered tentatively.

Tobias toasted her with his mug. "Hello, Tris," he laughed. "It's been a long time."


	5. Tobias' Musings (T)

I actually wrote this when I was toying with writing exclusively from Four's POV. I tried it out to make sure I had his voice clearly in my head. I admit to being intimidated about writing in the canon universe so I've been playing with it to build up my confidence. You'll notice, of course, that I still haven't written in canon yet...

xXx

There's something unbelievably relaxing about the Control Room at night. I know Zeke doesn't think so. He infinitely prefers the day when people are bustling around and Dauntless is at its busiest. He likes seeing people who forget they are on camera acting like morons. There is some amusement in that, I will admit.

The city is also alive and bustling during the day. We don't have cameras everywhere, of course, but there are some at the Hub, the edges of each of the factions, and, of course, along the edges of Factionless. Technically, we should have more camera coverage of Factionless than any other faction besides our own but the factionless kept destroying the interior cameras so eventually, we limited them to the edges of their abandoned buildings. Usually there's nothing terribly interesting. The city knows we monitor the cameras so people go about their day thinking nothing of it. The cameras are really just a back-up to our in-person patrols but neither are strictly necessary. There's very little crime in Chicago.

There's another flurry of activity at the end of the shift, as there is first thing in the morning. The night patrols are coming back and the morning jobs are beginning. People are rushing to breakfast or the training room or work. Some are buzzed with energy; some are weighted down with fatigue. There are people drinking by the Chasm and generally being, well, Dauntless. I've seen laughter and fights, drinking and hangovers, people making out and people breaking up. Even though they all know there are cameras on them, it doesn't change how they act. Occasionally, people moon the camera. I've seen Zeke's ridiculous ass more times than I really care to admit.

But the middle of the shift, the bulk of it, is peaceful. Quiet in a way I cherish and can't imagine ever taking for granted. I'm usually alone in the Control Room for the overnight shift. It is so quiet only one of us is required to be on duty. I monitor the screens in the city, in the compound, but for the most part, I can just….be.

I was never able to just be in Abnegation. When I wasn't avoiding Marcus, I was thinking about avoiding Marcus. Stress was an omnipresent companion. My memories are stained with it, imbuing them with a film that makes them seem fuzzy if I allow myself to wander down that road. The memories could choke me if I let them, paralyze me with the pain and heartache that defined my childhood.

I try not to think about it unless I'm in my fear landscape. Then the memories are crystal clear.

Here, in the Control Room at night, I allow myself to breathe.

In Dauntless, I left behind Tobias Eaton and became Four. Tobias is still there, of course, the Abnegation child buried inside the Dauntless prodigy. Somehow, I've become okay with my Abnegation values; I've learned that standing up for others is as selfless as subjugating yourself to them. It occasionally amuses me that I learned to be Abnegation by becoming Dauntless. Maybe my divergence is the reason why I see the similarity so clearly. Of course, that is something I can never tell anyone.

My eyes track over the various monitors. The cameras outside each faction show a city at sleep. Erudite is, of course, brightly lit, despite the curfew. I can only tell that from afar as Erudite had the cameras closest to their sector shut down. My jaw clenches. I know they are up to something and it can't be good. For a moment, I consider why I'm still here in Dauntless and I glance up at the Erudite cameras again. Dauntless has become something other than what I thought it would be when I transferred and I'm more than positive Erudite is behind the change. I just wish I could be sure about what it was.

Candor and Abnegation are dark and quiet. I don't know what goes on in Candor, but I do know what happens inside the Abnegation houses. Families are settling down for the night. Turning off solar lamps or blowing out candles. Once, a long time ago, a leader beat his son in that quiet dark.

Even those around the factionless sector are quiet even though I know there's a hive of activity in those dilapidated buildings. Inside those buildings, somewhere, is my mother, planning, plotting, preparing. I don't linger on those images. It has become another memory now tainted by a film of stress.

I turn my attention to the monitors inside the Dauntless compound. There are a few people milling around the Pit. There ALWAYS are. Tonight is relatively tame. The people I saw drinking by the Chasm at the beginning of my shift have now stumbled off to bed. The compound is settling down for the night.

Then, I see her.

She isn't the only blonde in Dauntless but for some reason, that fall of gold seems to draw my attention in a way other blondes can't. Before I'm fully aware of it, I've focused the camera on her, zooming in as closely as I can.

I can't see everything, of course, so my mind fills in the rest. Her clothes are, of course, black, but she doesn't wear them as tight-fitting as some of the other initiates. It's the Abnegation in her, of course. It took me a while to get used to wearing clothes that actually fit. She hasn't been here long but I can already see a difference; she's more toned than she was and she's actually beginning to carry herself with more confidence. She's coming out of the tattoo parlor so I know she's been talking to Tori. She runs her hand through her hair, lifting it and letting it fall. I'm fascinated by the way it bounces against her shoulder blades.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Everything about this is wrong. Spying on her when she can't see me is wrong. Wanting her when she's still an initiate is wrong.

But I can't stop.

I watch her pace the edge of the Chasm. She seems to be working something out, her hands are moving restlessly as she paces. She seems agitated, worried and I frown at the thought of her being unhappy.

I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could watch those icy grey eyes flash like diamonds in the low light. I wish I could see her bite her lip the way she does when she's unsure. Most of all, I wish I could touch her. Slide my arms around her thin waist and pull her flush against me. I can almost smell the vague hint of lemons from her shampoo, the clean scent of rosemary soap that seems to cling to her, even in the training room.

I take a deep breath once I realize my hand is itching to trace her figure on my screen.

I've stayed in Dauntless for her. I've chosen her.

Now I need her to choose me.


	6. The Awkward Homecoming (M)

This is one I think I'll actually expand because I'm mildly obsessed with the image of Theo in those sexy Hugo Boss commercials. His image was totally in my head when I wrote this version of Tobias.

xXx

 _302_

Tris sighed with pleasure as she stared at the gold numbers of her apartment door. She was glad to be home. She had spent the last three weeks babysitting a temperamental author on the last stage of his book tour. Christina, the original publicist assigned to the tour, had to leave unexpectedly at the very beginning of the tour when her parents had been in a car accident. They were okay, luckily, but they'd required help so Tori, Tris' boss, had sent Tris to cover. The author, Molly Atwood, was a best-selling romantic suspense author and a world class bitch. She'd run Tris ragged with her ridiculous requests. Tris' flight from Detroit ended up being over two hours late. And to top it all off, Tris had to stop by her office to give her boss an impromptu briefing about the trip as Molly had called and complained about everything from the hotel accommodations to the treatment by various bookstores.

She opened the door and was immediately greeted by Marco, her fat black and white cat. She wheeled her suitcase into the apartment and closed the door behind her, Marco winding himself between her legs in greeting. Tris bent down and scooped him into her arms. "Hey baby boy." She murmured, burying her face in his silky soft fur. Marco purred, rubbing his head against hers. Tris looked around, pleasantly surprised to see her apartment in such good condition. Her cousin, Myra, had been staying there to cat-sit while Tris was away, and Myra wasn't known for her housekeeping skills.

Tris has just let the cat down when she heard a faint moan coming from the direction of her bedroom. Tris froze. Myra was supposed to go back to her parents' place since Tris was coming home today but there was always the possibility she had stuck around to hang out for a minute and catch up. Tris carefully reached down for her purse, fishing out her cell phone and her spray can of pepper spray. She kicked off her heels so they wouldn't make noise and cautiously made her way down the hallway to her bedroom. The door was open and Tris just stared, the sight before her rendering her speechless.

The dark haired man was completely obscuring the woman beneath him but from the breathy moans and the movement of the man's ass beneath the sheets, there was absolutely no doubt as to what they were doing. Tris felt her face flame red. "What the hell is this?"

The man abruptly stopped and glanced over his shoulder, a lock of dark hair falling across his forehead. He frowned at her as Myra, her golden hair askew, struggled to lever herself up and glance over his shoulder. "Tris!" She exclaimed. "You're not supposed to be home until Thursday!"

"It IS Thursday," Tris ground out, barely holding her temper in check.

"Oh," Myra giggled nervously as she gently urged the man off her. He flopped to the side carelessly, staring at Tris with dark eyes, a slight smirk on his face. "Um, Tris, Eric. Eric, Tris."

Eric's dark eyes raked over Tris, taking in the hair falling out of its ponytail, the wrinkled dark blue sheath dress and jacket a testament to her long journey. "So, you're the cousin." He drawled. "Nice place."

"Gee, thanks," Tris spat through clenched teeth. "So would you mind getting the hell out of my bed?"

"Oh sure!" Myra gave a nervous giggle. Tris didn't lose her temper often but when she did, it was epic. "We'll just get cleaned up here."

Tris turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway towards the kitchen. She pressed her palms into her eyes and repressed the urge to scream. Myra was Tris' age but somehow seemed years younger in maturity. Tris' brother, Caleb, couldn't fathom how she trusted Myra to housesit for her but aside from eating all of Tris' food and occasionally racking up pay per view charges on cable, it wasn't a bad deal. Marco liked having someone around and Tris didn't have to worry about him or her plants dying or her mail piling up. She could, of course, call on her boyfriend to cat-sit but this trip had been last minute and Tobias himself had been out of town the entire second week of the tour.

Tris grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the filtered water dispenser. Gulping it down, she glanced at the clock on the microwave. Tobias would be here any minute and she had really been looking forward to a quiet, romantic homecoming with the man she was pretty sure she was going to marry. She opened the refrigerator, looking for the bottle of burgundy rosé she'd stashed before she left, and groaned. Of course, it was gone.

Tris sighed and leaned against the counter, wondering if she should call Tobias and tell him she and Marco would meet him at his place but he'd probably already left. Besides, in rush hour traffic, it would take him too long to divert away from her place in Chelsea to his in Upper Manhattan. She'd just have to suck it up until he got there and then she could convince him to go to his place. Telling him her cousin had been doing the bump and grind with some random guy in her bed would be enough.

She looked up as Eric sauntered into the room, a slight smirk on his face. Tris stared at him as he reached around her to open the fridge and grab a bottle of Coke. "Sorry about this." He said, twisting the cap off and draining half the bottle in one gulp.

Tris tried to get herself to relax. It wasn't totally his fault, after all, Myra was the one who brought him back here. "Yeah, well, this wasn't quite what I expected."

He looked her up and down. Tris squirmed, a little uncomfortable with his assessing gaze. "Myra tells me you're some kind of writer's assistant or something."

She frowned. "I'm in public relations at a publishing company."

"You were on some kind of book tour?"

"Yeah."

Eric finished off the bottle of soda and stepped closer to Tris, trapping her against the counter. Her eyes narrowed and he gave her a saucy grin, tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin next to the counter. "You've got a boyfriend, right?"

"Yes," she said shortly, wondering what business it was of his.

"So, why didn't your boyfriend pick you up?" He murmured, his breath warm on her cheek. Tris' hand balled up at her side and she thought seriously about punching him in the stomach when she heard her apartment door open.

"Tris?" Tobias called.

Tris slid past Eric with a frown and exited the kitchen, heading for her boyfriend. He looked ridiculously good in his tailored black suit, crisp white shirt and thin black tie; every inch the successful corporate attorney he was. He smiled at her, his deep blue eyes crinkling a little at the corners. "Hey, baby." He murmured as she walked into his arms. He hugged her tightly then tipped her head up and brushed his lips against hers. "Miss me?" He asked. Before she could answer, he deepened the kiss, his arms banding around her tightly.

"You have no -" She broke off when Tobias looked up at something over her shoulder. She turned around to see Eric walking out of her kitchen. Tris ground her teeth together as she stifled a groan at the interruption.

"Eric? Eric Peyton?" Tobias asked, confused. He glanced down at Tris then back at Eric.

"Four Eaton?" Eric asked, equally surprised. "You're the boyfriend?"

Tobias looked down at Tris, who pulled away and turned to face Eric, her arm wrapped around Tobias' waist. "Tris, what's up?"

"You two know each other?" Tris asked, noting that Eric used the nickname Tobias told her he had while playing football as a kid.

"Yeah," Eric answered, "we went to high school together." He smirked a little, giving Tris the hint that maybe they weren't exactly friends. She started to say something when Myra came into the room, her grin wide and artificially bright. She was practically bouncing with nervous energy and stopped short when she saw Tobias, shifting from one foot to the other. Tris alone was nerve-wracking but she and Tobias together were downright formidable.

"Tobias! Um, hey." She shifted her black and white patchwork quilted bag from one shoulder to the other. "So, I changed the bed so you guys should be all good to go. Thanks for letting me crash, Tris." She grabbed Eric's hand. "We're gonna jet. Later!" Dragging Eric, she beat a hasty exit.

Tobias looked down at Tris, a barely suppressed smile tugging at his lips. From the aggravated expression on his girlfriend's face, he bet the story would be good. And with Myra, it really could be anything. She managed to get herself into more trouble than anyone they knew.

Tris rested her forehead against his chest and groaned. "They were fucking in my bed!"

Tobias ran his hands up and down her arms, doing his best not to laugh. "Moving in with me is looking better and better, isn't it?" He teased. He'd been trying for the last couple of months to get her to ditch her place but he knew she liked her independence. Her parents had been extremely worried when she decided to move to New York so it meant a lot to her that she prove to them she could make it on her own. Moving into her rich boyfriend's place is exactly what her parents would want her to do.

She shook her head against his chest, "I've got a security deposit I need back and the penalty to break the lease is a killer."

He lifted her chin with a grin. "I'll pay it. It's not a big deal." He insisted when she started to protest. "Come on, it'll give me a chance to use Marcus' money for something good." He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. "Think about it, a nice Upper West Side apartment with three bedrooms, huge picture windows, a modern kitchen and a cleaning lady once a week."

Eyes narrowed, Tris glared up at him. "I don't need all that and you know it."

He laughed. "Okay," he said, "the coup de grace is that the only people who'll be fucking in our bed is us."

"Sold."

Tobias laughed loudly. "Okay, let's get some of your stuff and take Marco back to our place." He kissed her deeply, his tongue tangling with hers teasingly. "But first, why don't we get some dinner."

"Good, because they drank our wine."


	7. Hollywood Hills (T)

I had an idea about doing a story where Tobias was an actor. I bounced it of off the ever amazing m1129 and milner and both of them encouraged me to write it myself. I've written about a dozen scenes or so but have struggled to put together a longer plot. In the plot, the studio wants to play up a false relationship between Tobias and Lauren, his co-star and former girlfriend, using a starring role in a movie he really wants as incentive.

xXx

Tris arrived at the studio, hoping she'd timed it right. The photo shoot for the movie's publicity stills should be almost done and she'd be able to report to Tori that all went well. Tobias hadn't been terribly cozy with Lauren at the charity concert so it was her job to remind Tobias that he was supposed to like co-star, even if he didn't.

By the time she got to the main part of the studio, the crew was breaking sown the equipment. She tapped the shoulder of one of the crew. "Hi, is the shoot over?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Where are the stars?"

"Should be in their dressing rooms." He gestured with his chin towards the back. Tris smiled her thanks and headed back. As she got close, she heard voices. She stopped just outside one of the doors when she heard Tobias say, "Christ, Lauren, give it a rest."

She glanced in to see Tobias standing near the make-up table, his hands at his side. Lauren was cuddled up against him, her arms around his neck. "Come on, Toby, you remember how good we were."

He reached up and took her arms from around his neck. "You know goddamn well I hate the name Toby." He growled. "And you know we sucked together."

Lauren pouted prettily. "Tobias," she said, her voice a sexy purr, "we had some really good times together and you know it. All I'm saying is that this relationship doesn't have to be pretend."

"Forget it."

She pulled away from him, anger flashing in her dark eyes. As she stepped into his chest, Tris decided she'd seen enough. She walked in. "Tobias, I'm sorry to interrupt but you've got another appointment."

Tobias looked at her gratefully. "Yeah, right. Thanks, Tris."

Lauren threw her golden hair over her shoulder with a graceful movement of her head. Now that someone was here, she turned on the charm. "Well, I guess we can finish this later." She leaned up and brushed her lips across Tobias'. "Think about it." She murmured. Without sparing a glance at Tris, she strutted out of the room, her hips swaying.

Tris shook her head as she watched Lauren exit. There wasn't a genuine bone in her body, Tris thought. She turned back to Tobias. He was standing, tension radiating from every pore. His eyes were closed, his hands clenched into fists, breathing deeply. For the first time, Tris became concerned that this arrangement the studio forced on him was going to have seriously negative consequences. She stepped towards him and put a gentle hand on his arm. "Tobias?"

His eyes snapped open and Tris was surprised by the intense emotion swirling in the navy blue depths. Without a word, he turned and grabbed a helmet off the couch. He grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"We're gonna take a ride."

She squeezed his hand. "Wait. I can't, I've got my car."

He reached back into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He dialed swiftly. "Uri, hey. Can you drive Tris' car back to my house? We're taking a ride. I'll leave the keys in my dressing room." He hung up and looked at her. "Keys."

Tris reached into her purse and handed him her keys, wondering why in the world she was obeying. He dropped them on the make-up table and took her hand again. He led them out of the back to the parking lot and over to a black Harley Davidson motorcycle. He settled the helmet in his hand over her head, adjusting it as best he could. With a satisfied nod, he threw a leg over the bike and climbed on. Tris hesitated for a moment then thought, _what the hell,_ and slid on after him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and moments later, he peeled off.

Tris laughed at thrilling sensation. Tobias drove fast, weaving through traffic, speeding them out of town. City gave way to residential neighborhoods but they continued up through the hills. Tris tightened her arms around Tobias' waist and felt him shudder as she gently caressed his stomach. She wondered if her touch was effecting him or if it was the ride.

Tobias finally pulled off near the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He stopped the bike and they dismounted, Tris' legs a little wobbly. They took off the helmets. Tobias looked at Tris who was grinning broadly. "Was that your first ride?"

She nodded. "That was incredible!"

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah." He took her helmet from her and propped both of them on the bike's seat. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

Tris regarded him in silence for several long minutes. "Are you okay?"

"No."

She stepped towards him. "How can I help?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. To her surprise, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tightly, dropping his lips to her shoulder. Tris held him, feeling the tension in his back. "What happened?"

"Lauren." The word was muffled by her shoulder. "I don't think I can do this, Tris."

She pulled back and looked at him. Without thinking, she put her hand on his cheek. "Tell me."

He sighed and dropped his arms. He couldn't hold her while he told her. "You know my dad beat me, right." It wasn't a question and Tris nodded. Everyone knew thanks to an article in a tabloid not long after his first movie. "I was seeing Lauren in college. When my dad and I got into that fight at Christmas break, I took off for Europe for several months to get my head together. I stayed with my mom for a while but I hated her new husband so I just wandered. Finally, I came back to LA and re-enrolled for the summer semester. Lauren and I had been living together and when I came back to the apartment, she was furious. I'd called her, let her know what was going on, I even paid the rent for her during the summer, but she just didn't care. I took off on her as far as she was concerned. Maybe she was right." He shrugged.

"You needed to recover." Tris said quietly.

He nodded, not surprised that she would understand. She always seemed to understand. "Lauren didn't see it that way. She goaded me into a fight. A huge fight. I pushed her and for the first time, I seriously considered hitting her. As I was standing over her, I could see in her eyes that she was getting off on it. She thrived on drama and right then, I knew I couldn't do it anymore. I could feel myself turning into Marcus and after everything that was the last thing I wanted. I left. I paid out the end of the lease and stayed with Will for a few weeks."

Tris touched his arm. "Maybe we should get you out of this."

Tobias took a deep breath. "No, we can't. The studio won't give a shit about my baggage. I'll lose that part and I need it."

"I'll help you get through this, I promise." She said.

Tobias reached out and pulled her into his arms again. As she snuggled into the space beneath his chin, Tobias marveled at how calming he found her presence. He ran a hand across her honey blonde hair and breathed in the calming scent of Tris and the ocean. He closed his eyes and never wanted to leave.


	8. The Greek Restaurant (T)

So, here's a little more to the previous chapter of Tobias being an actor. I decided to post this just in case anyone was afraid I'd put Lauren and Tobias together...anyway, my ultimate goal for the plot was for the publicity stunt to blow up in their faces when Tobias is caught by the paparazzi kissing Tris after their first date. Ultimately, the studio agrees to allow Tris to play the part of Tobias' real life love interest. To be honest, I've already got about 30 pages so maybe one day I'll force myself to finish.

xXx

"Go to dinner with me."

Tris' eyes widened. "Wh – what?"

He leaned forward. "Go to dinner with me. Someplace quiet, I promise."

"You don't have to – "

"I want to." He interrupted. "Before I turned into an asshole that day we met, I was going to ask you anyway."

Tris tried to keep the smile off her face. Here was one of the most gorgeous men in Hollywood asking her out! "What about that contract stuff?"

He shrugged. "Consider it a favor. The last time I get to choose my dinner companion for a while. It's a pity date."

She laughed lightly at the thought that he could ever be anyone's pity date. Before she could answer, Tori's office door opened and her secretary came out. She smiled brightly. "Tori's ready for you, Mr. Eaton."

"Thanks." He stood, not taking his eyes off Tris. "Come on." He said.

She smiled up at him and shook her head. "This is probably a bad idea." She said.

Shrugging, he leaned down and asked, "Is that a yes?"

She tilted her head. "This can't go anywhere, you know."

"No but at least I get one last night with company I'd enjoy."

This time, Tris couldn't stop the smile. "Okay, sure. Dinner tonight."

Tobias grinned, absurdly pleased. "You like Greek, right?"

"Never had it."

Tobias stared at her like she'd just grown a second head. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"We're rectifying that tonight." He pulled out his phone to text her the address. "Seven?"

"Okay."

"I assume you want to meet me there?" He chuckled as she blushed knowing that if he picked her up, it could just increase the chances of them being seen together. "Okay. I'll text you the directions."

xXx

Tris pulled into the small parking lot behind the little Greek restaurant. As she walked around to the front of the block, Tris realized her hands were sweaty. Of course they were! Shewas about to have dinner with the sexiest man she'd ever seen. The worst part, though, was that she knew it couldn't go anywhere. Tobias was going to have to pretend to be in a relationship with his co-star. PR appearances were a part of the publicity clause in his contract and the studio had every intention of exploiting that the way they wanted. There was another whole movie to film after the current one premiered so Tris figured Tobias would be off limits for a while. That he was pretty much unattainable should have made her feel better about this dinner but she just didn't. Tris was terribly afraid she'd have the best time of her life with a man she could not have.

Before she pushed open the door to Icarus Restaurant, Tris stopped and took a deep breath. "Okay, Tris, you got this." When she entered, she saw Tobias to her left, leaning against the bar, standing with a large, balding man. They were speaking rapidly in a foreign language Tris guessed was Greek. Tobias looked up and smiled at her, his blue eyes warm. Tris felt her knees weaken.

"Here she is, Gus." Tobias said, in English.

Gus hurried from around the bar, grabbed Tris by her upper arms and kissed her on her right, left then right cheek. "Welcome, welcome, welcome Tris!"

She smiled, a little overwhelmed by the affection. "Uh, hi."

Tobias laughed and came over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Tris Prior, this is Gus Condaratos."

"You are most welcome in my restaurant. I hear this is your first time with Greek food!" Gus didn't seem to talk so much as shout. He led them to a table and gestured for them to sit. There weren't many patrons dining and those that did barely glanced at Tobias. Tris wondered if he came here often. "I'm gonna bring you a lot of things. You get a taste of Greece tonight!" He looked at Tobias. "I'm gonna bring the whole bottle, Tobias."

Tobias nodded. "Thanks."

Tris raised an eyebrow. "Bottle?"

"I went with a Pinot Grigio. Its neutral enough to compliment most anything Gus comes up with."

"Hey, Tobias." A young girl, no older than 15 came over with a bowls of pita bread, olives and a corkscrew.

"Hey, Nikki. How's your mom?"

She smiled. "Great. She's not here tonight. Hector's in the back."

Gus came back, a bottle of wine tucked under his arm, holding two bowls. He set each down. "Hummus. Tzatziki. I be back with the dolmas and eggplant."

Tris looked up at Tobias. "Wow."

He grinned and pushed the pita towards her. "Oh trust me, there's more." He grabbed the corkscrew and quickly opened the wine. As he poured, Tris reached for a piece of pita and dipped it in the tzatziki. She took a bite and her eyes widened. "Wow." She said again.

Tobias laughed. "See how you've been deprived?" He asked, handing her a glass of wine.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"Tzatziki. Yogurt and cucumber primarily. A little dill and garlic. That's why it's a bit sour and spicy at the same time."

Gus dropped the plates with dolmas, fried eggplant and spanakopita. "The main course is roast lemon chicken and potatoes. There'll be village salad. Oh, don't forget dessert." He hurried back off.

"Village salad?"

Tobias took a sip of his wine. "Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta, capers, kalamatas, oil and lemon juice. Trust me, you'll love it."

Tris shook her head. "I'm not going to be able to eat for a week after this."

Tobias grinned and put a dolma on her plate. "For Greeks, food is love. Try this. It's a stuffed grape leaf. This is the appetizer version so it only has rice. The dinner size had ground beef or lamb and is covered in this amazing lemon egg sauce."

Tris bit into the grape leaf and savored the tangy taste. "Oh, man, where has this been all my life?"

Tobias laughed and gestured with his piece of spanakopita. "Try one. It's spinach and feta."

Tris eagerly reached for it. "How did you find this place?"

"I went to a Greek Orthodox church near campus to find a Greek tutor to help me keep up. I met Gus there and started coming by regularly."

"So that was Greek you were speaking." She said. Tobias nodded. "I didn't know you could speak it."

He shrugged. "I've been speaking since I was a kid. My mom's trust fund, and later mine, were dependent on my learning. My grandfather was thoroughly Greek even though at this point, he's been in England longer than he was in Greece. He was pretty pissed when my mom took Johnson as her last name when she modeled. Then she had the poor taste to marry a non-Greek, according to my grandfather, so he wanted to make sure I knew my heritage."

Tris reached for another spanakopita and wondered idly if she could fit in regular trips here to sate what was sure to become an obsession with Greek food. "Have you been to Greece?"

Tobias nodded and sipped his wine. "Yeah, several times. I love it. My mom's family is from a tiny little fishing town on the Peloponnesian Coast so I visited there a couple of times. The rest of the time I island hop. Totally worth it." He shook his head. "Enough about me. Where'd you go to school?"

"Pepperdine, then Stanford for my master's."

Tobias raised his eyebrows. "Smarty pants."

Tris laughed. "You're one to talk, Mr. ABD in Classical Literature."

He laughed. "How'd you know about that?"

"I'm a publicist. It's my job to know." Tris' eyes twinkled with humor. "Why, is it a state secret or something? If so, you blew it."

"No, it's just that nobody ever asks about it. More often I get asked what it was like to do a DKNY underwear ad."

"It was a nice ad." She said, deadpan.

Tobias nearly choked on his wine laughing. "Gee thanks."

"Anyway, my brother's the brain trust between the two of us. He's studying genetics at MIT."

"Oh." Tobias was surprised. "Okay." He laughed a little. "I have no response to that."

She smiled over her glass of wine, enjoying how his dark eyes crinkled a little at the corners. Talking to him was coming so easily, she felt like she'd known him forever. "So, why classical literature?"

He shrugged. "I'm Greek."

They talked, laughed, and ate, as Gus kept bringing more food. At some point, Tris wasn't even sure when, Tobias tangled his fingers with hers. After Gus brought cookies and thick, rich Greek coffee, Tris realized they'd been together nearly four hours. "It's almost 11." She said quietly.

Tobias looked at his watch. "Yeah. I guess I should let you go. You've got work tomorrow."

Tris nodded. "I don't want to go." She admitted.

He smiled and ran his finger across her hand. "Neither do I."

"But I have to." She reached for her purse. "How about we go Dutch -"

Tobias waved her away. "Already taken care of."

She looked up at him. "Tobias…"

"Hey, this was my version of the Last Supper, remember?"

She shook her head. "I'll figure out how to get you back." She teased, standing.

He stood also and took her hand. "I'll walk you to your car." He called for Gus who hugged him, speaking rapidly in Greek. Gus turned to Tris and hugged her too.

"You come back, anytime." Gus said, handing her a bag of food.

"I will. Everything was amazing but I can't take this."

Gus shook his head. "Take it, you're too skinny." Tris laughed and impulsively kissed his cheek. Considering the brisk rate she'd noticed drivers and patrons stopping in and taking out food, Tris figured the bulk of his business was take out. So, she'd definitely be back.

Tobias took her hand and they walked silently to her car. She opened the door, put the bag of food and her purse inside and turned to face him. "I wish we could do this again."

"Me too." He leaned in closer to her. "I'm regretting than damn PR stunt more now than I was before."

"You have to do it." She said but her heart wasn't in it. Her pulse was thrumming rapidly as she stared into those deep blue eyes. Again, she thought of a magnet and she felt herself being pulled towards him. She put her hands on his chest but she wasn't actually pushing him back.

He nodded and slid his arms around her waist. "And I have to do this too." His deep voice was gravely with desire. He bent down and kissed her firmly. Tris' arms slid up around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair. She opened her mouth and his tongue caressed hers. She could feel herself getting lightheaded as their lips moved together. She didn't know how long they stood there but eventually she made herself pull away. She ran her fingers across his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip. "If we don't stop now, I won't be able to." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt an ache of loss deep in her chest.

He rested his forehead on hers. "I already don't want to stop." He straightened. "If I could get out of this, I would. I want you, Tris."

"I want you too. But you can't so it doesn't matter."

He turned his head and kissed her palm. "I'll be thinking of you."

She smiled and nodded. He moved back and she got in the car. He closed the door for her. As she drove off, he waved. The further away she got, the deeper the ache in her chest got.

xXx

"Jeanine Matthews is a fucking bitch." Christina declared.

Tobias snorted and Will winced. "Jesus, Christina."

"What? She's using MY script to hurt a friend of mine! I don't appreciate it!" She took a defiant slurp of her chocolate milkshake.

"That's a true friend." Tobias smirked. He stuffed a French fry in his mouth. Tuesday nights were Tobias' night to have dinner with Will and Christina whenever all three of them could make it. It was a tradition they'd established back in college after their late afternoon theater history class. Once the class was over, Christina insisted they keep up the ritual so they wouldn't lose touch and in the last few years, they'd congregated at Will and Christina's apartment. Since it was Christina's script, Tobias had decided to tell her the PR spin Jeanine Matthews, CEO of Dauntless Studios, had foisted on him. Christina was, as expected, outraged.

Will nodded, dividing his attention between them and his Facebook page. "Yeah but calling the CEO of the studio that just bought your screenplay a bitch isn't a great move."

"Pfft." Christina snorted. "That's no excuse."

Will sighed. "I know, just be careful with your opinion. You don't want it to get back to her."

Tobias nodded. "Actually, Will has a point." Tobias gestured with his hamburger. "I can suck it up. It's not like I have to sleep with Lauren or anything."

"Thank God." Christina mumbled. She'd never liked Lauren. She thought Lauren was spoiled, selfish and arrogant. She'd practically thrown a party when Lauren and Tobias broke up, especially since Tobias had been the one doing the dumping.

"But you did say the date you had last night was awesome and you want to see her again, right?" Will looked up from his tablet.

Tobias glared at him. "Whose side are you on?" Will just grinned.

Christina put down her hamburger. "I'm just pissed. She doesn't really care if you and Lauren don't get along. Besides, I don't want to see Lauren get her claws back into you." She leaned forward and put her hand on Tobias'. "That time sucked for you." She said sympathetically. She and Will had had a first row seat for the drama that had been Lauren and Tobias' relationship.

"I'll survive, Christina." He said with a smile. "I'm not in the same place I was then." He sat back, hoping to lighten the mood. "It won't last. I'm willing to bet Lauren gets caught on TMZ with some guy before we start filming."

Just then, Will made a choking noise. Both Christina and Tobias turned to him. "Baby, you okay?" Christina asked.

Without a word, Will leaned over and handed Tobias his tablet. Christina looked over his shoulder and gasped.

"Aw, shit." Tobias mumbled.

Right there on TMZ were three pictures of Tobias and Tris in the doorway of her car. The headline screamed, "Tobias Eaton Caught in Romantic Embrace with Mystery Girlfriend!" In the first picture, Tobias was leaning towards Tris; in the second, they were kissing passionately; and in the third, Tobias' forehead was leaning on Tris' and her hand was cupping his cheek. Tobias noted that the embrace looked just as passionate on the outside as it had felt on the inside. He sighed.

Christina looked up at him. "This is bad, right?"

"Oh yeah." Will piped in.

Tobias rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, probably." He looked at them again. "God, someone must've followed us out of Icarus."

"You took her to Icarus?" Christina asked sharply.

"Yeah." Tobias answered absently, looking at the picture, remembering how much he'd wanted to keep holding Tris. He looked up just in time to catch the meaningful look Christina and Will shared. "What?"

"You never take dates to Icarus." Will said quietly.

"Only family." Christina said. "It was years before you took us. And you've NEVER taken Lauren."

Tobias stared at them a moment. He started to refute it but then he stopped. It was true, he realized. Icarus was special to him so he only took special people. And, he hadn't considered taking Tris anywhere else. "Huh." He said.

At that moment, his cell phone rang. Tobias leaned over and picked it up from the coffee table, handing the tablet to Christina. "Shit. It's Tori." Christina and Will grimaced in sympathy. Tobias swiped his finger across the screen and cautiously held the phone up to his ear. "Hey Tori. Yeah, I know. No, I know. Yeah. Yeah, I'll be right there." He tapped the screen and looked at them. "She wants me in her office now."

Christina stood. "I'll put your burger back in the container." She said, heading for the kitchen.


	9. Waking up in Dauntless (M)

I've been thinking about a post Allegiant movie fic ever since I saw it the first time. At this point, I have no expectations for getting a movie, with the original cast, that will provide a satisfactory ending. If you're wondering, I hated the original ending and thought Tris' death was pointless, stupid and insulting to the original story, just so you know what I mean by satisfactory. In any event, this scene came to me after I saw the movie again.

I posted this for enj412 and Bamcn as they said they needed smut...

xXx

When Tris first opened her eyes, she was momentarily disoriented. She'd expected to see the metal bunk beds, hear the murmurings of the others around her in the Bureau's dorm. Instead she was greeted with silence, faced with plain, white walls. She moved a little, stretching, and felt a warm body behind her; realization flooded through her. She wasn't alone. She was in Tobias' apartment in Dauntless.

They were home.

Smiling, she turned to her other side and looked at Tobias. Sometime during the night, she'd turned so that she wasn't snuggled against him but they hadn't moved too far away from each other. Her eyes swept over him. The dark sheet was bunched around his waist, revealing his muscular torso, and the cuts and bruises that now blossomed over the tanned skin. Worst of all was the six-inch scar along his abdomen, an angry red color visible even through the clear coating of liquid stitches the Erudite doctor used to close the wound. Tris' mouth tightened. He hadn't told her exactly what happened when the air ship crashed, or how it crashed, only that he'd been banged up. It hadn't helped that he'd had to fight his way through Erudite, aggravating all the injuries he'd sustained in the crash.

Tris reached up and lightly traced the scar along his high cheekbone, regret filling every portion of her. He was hurt because of her. Because she'd allowed herself to listen to a man she'd just met rather than the one who'd put himself in danger over and over to protect and support her. She sighed as her fingertips traced his lips. She wondered how she'd ever make it up to him.

Tobias' lips curved beneath her fingers a second before he opened his dark blue eyes. "Hey, morning." His voice was scratchy with sleep.

"Morning." She whispered back.

He blinked as he took in her pensive expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Tris." He said firmly.

She sighed. "I was just wondering how you could forgive me so easily. I was so stupid to listen to David. I was so sure he could be trusted because my mother trusted him once."

He shrugged. "Like I said, you were doing what you thought was right."

Tris' lips curved slightly in a smile. "Your Abnegation is showing." She teased.

Without warning, he reached over and pulled her on top of him, his hand curving around her back of her neck to bring her head down to him for a kiss. "Then let me show you my Dauntless." He mumbled against her lips. He started to try and flip them over but Tris stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.

"You shouldn't take your weight on that knee." She reminded him.

"It feels fine." The Erudite doctors who had patched him up after they'd stopped the memory serum had advised him to baby his strained knee for a few days. He didn't know if he'd hurt it when the ship crashed or if that kick to the knee the Factionless solider had given him did it. As far as Tobias was concerned, the pain in his knee was not going to stop him from making love to his girl.

She glanced at him, basking in the passion she could read in his eyes. They hadn't had any private time at the Bureau so it had been a month since they'd made love. Tris let her fingers trail down his torso, tracing the defined muscles. In the weeks before they'd gone over the fence, they'd been insatiable, stealing moments together whenever they could, so the separation had been painful for the both of them. Now that they were back in Chicago, back in Dauntless, they could finally pick up where they left off. There was a ton of work to do; they had to evaluate how many people had been impacted by the memory serum. There was the new city council to put together, the next move in their restoration of the city and their plans for the Bureau. But none of that mattered to Tris at that moment. All she cared about was the man next to her.

Tris leaned forward, kissing him deeply. Tobias tangled his hand in her blonde strands, his tongue caressing hers. He groaned as Tris moved over to straddle him. Their kiss deepened, intensified, their fingers retracing familiar territory. Tris broke the kiss and sat up, pulling the t-short she wore – his t-shirt – over her head and throwing it behind her. Tobias sat up, his mouth moving to cover one of her nipples. Tris tangled her hands in his hair and moaned, holding him to her as he teased her. Not to be outdone, Tris undulated her hips against him, grinding down on his growing erection. Tobias hummed with pleasure, the vibration teasing the nipple he sucked.

With her eyes on his, Tris pulled away and gently pushed him down so he fell back on the bed. She leaned forward, kissing her way down his chest, pulling his pajama pants off as she worked her way down his body. She quickly shed her underwear and crawled back up the bed towards him. Tobias pulled her down on top of him again, his kiss fierce. His fingers wandered down to trace her flesh, gently tweaking her clit. Tris moaned a little, riding his fingers, her eyes drifting closed. Teasing her, his hands wandered again, moving behind her to squeeze her butt cheeks. Tris smiled against his lips. "Feel something you like?"

He chuckled and squeezed again. "You know I love your ass."

A wicked idea entered her mind as she sat up. "Want to try something different?" She asked innocently.

Tobias propped himself up on his elbows and raised his eyebrows. "What did you have in mind?"

She leaned forward and kissed him quickly, then turned around so she was straddling him with her back to him. Grasping him firmly in her hand, she pumped him a couple of times to make sure he was nice and hard. Behind her, he let out a strangled moan. Tris grinned, she'd missed the sounds he made, missed how powerful she felt when she aroused his passion. She lifted her hips and eased herself down onto him. They both let out sighs, loving the feeling of being connected once again. Tobias sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck.

"God you feel good."

She nodded, temporarily unable to speak. They stayed still a moment, locked together, their hearts beating in tune. Tobias kissed her shoulder. "I love you."

Tris turned her head so she could glance back at him. "I love you too. Now, lay back." She ordered.

He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." He laid back on the bed, loving the view of her backside the position offered. Bracing herself on his thighs, she began raising and lowering herself slowly so she could give herself time to adjust. The pleasure he gave her was so intense, she could scarcely believe she'd been able to stay away from him for so long. She sped up her movements and soon was riding him faster and faster. Tobias groaned behind her, running his hands up and down her back before settling on her hips and pulling her to him as he raised his hips to meet hers.

They moved together, each groaning, saturating themselves in pleasure. Tris gasped for breath, her lower abdomen tightening as she felt herself getting close to her peak. She leaned forward slightly so that he would hit her g-spot with every stroke. After just a few downward thrusts, she broke, squeezing her eyes shut as she held her breath. Her hands tightened on his thighs, shaking as her orgasm tore through her, stealing her voice.

Tobias usually loved watching her face when she came but he had to admit, he really did like seeing her tremble above him, knowing he did that to her. He was on the edge, ready to explode but he put aside his own needs for a moment to admire the slight sheen of sweat on her skin. He pushed himself up so he could nibble on her shoulder.

Tris came back to herself and concentrated on the hard flesh still buried inside her. She began to move her hips again, wanting to make him feel as good as she currently did. Tobias' hands gripped her hips, and Tris loved the harsh sounds of his breathing behind her. Tris reaching down, fondling his balls, massaging them gently. Tobias gave a shout of pleasure as he let go, riding the waves of intense bliss. When she felt him relax beneath her, Tris lifted herself and laid next to him, curling into his side.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Tobias pulled her down so he could kiss her fiercely. He pushed her hair behind her ear and stared into her eyes. "Wow."

She chuckled a little, tracing his full lower lip with her thumb. "Wow is right. I don't know how we kept apart for so long." She grew serious again. "Tobias, I love you and I'm so glad we're back together."

He pulled her head down to his again, caressing his lips against hers. "We were never really apart." He said. "There's no way I could stay away from you for long."

Tris laid her head down on his chest. "I know we should get up and go back over to Factionless."

Tobias shook his head. "Later."

She nodded. "Yeah, later."


	10. A Massage (T)

So I'm going to do something I normally don't do. I'm going to respond to a Guest comment.

To the Guest commenter who called me a child, you are partially correct; I should use commas instead of periods when using dialogue tags. Mea culpa. That said, I found your "child" comment to be snarky, rude, condescending and downright disrespectful. You are not a member of this community so for you to come here and be disrespectful like that is absolutely unacceptable. Act like you have some home training and show some respect when you are a visitor to a member site. Oh and since you want to be petty, let me point out that the summary indicates these scenes are unbetaed. That means they have not had the benefit of being proofread by someone other than the author for things such as grammar and spelling to catch errors that the author can miss while they are concentrating on characterization, plot and overall emotional tone. Reading comprehension 101, _**child**_.

To everyone else, thank you so much for your wonderful comments and reviews. I have an extraordinarily stressful day job and your comments make my day and inevitably bring a smile to my face. Extra thanks to Windchimed who caught the double paste in a previous scene and brought it to my attention. You are the best!

As I've mentioned, writing in canon intimidates me although I can think of a million places for the story to have gone after Insurgent. This is a little glimpse into what could have been...and yes, I know I ended it before the smut! :-) I'll expand this if I ever figure out where to include it.

xXx

The dark hallway leading to the Pit was already filled with the sound of music and people. Four paused before the bend in the hall would lead him into the Pit, trying to work himself up to facing it. The sounds should have comforted him, evidence that his faction was slowly getting back to normal. But tonight he was tired. He'd spend most of the morning at Candor, working on integrating their internal monitoring system into the city-wide mainframe he was building. Dealing with the Candor was draining for him, their lack of personal boundaries often strayed into areas he'd rather not share with just anyone. Then, once he returned to Dauntless, he, Tori and Harrison had spent hours pouring over old city maps, train maps and plans for the buildings that made up the Dauntless compound. They wanted to update Dauntless' living quarters so that they could better accommodate older and disabled members of the faction. Four's eyes were burning from strain, his head pounding from information overload.

Four looked at the faint light before him and sighed. The only way to make it back to the members' apartments was to cross the Pit. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, slowly letting it out through his mouth. The calming trick had come from one of the healers while he and Tris were at Amity. It had taken him a while to try it but once he had, he'd been surprised how much taking just a moment to center himself had helped. He straightened his shoulders and let his face fall into the blank, inscrutable expression he wore when dealing with most of the faction. He continued down the hallway.

The mass of bodies, laughing, drinking, talking, the din of the music, the rushing sound of the water created a nearly physical wall of sound. For just a moment, all the movement and noise threatened to overwhelm him and his step faltered. But he kept moving forward.

He gave an acknowledging head nod to anyone who greeted him as he made his way through the crowd. There was an impromptu band set up in one corner of the Pit, people scattered around, dancing or just standing around talking and drinking. He was almost to the hallway that led to the members' apartments when Uriah stepped in front of him, his arm slung around Christina.

"Four!" Uriah said with his usual exuberance.

Four gave the younger man a small smile. Uriah was one of the few people he could relax around and just be himself. "Hey Uri." He turned to Christina. She had grown on him since her initiation and as Tris' other best friend, he found he could relax around her too. "Christina." She smiled at him as Uri held out a brown bottle. Four shook his head, knowing it was Dauntless' infamous homemade liquor. He was entirely too tired to drink. At this point, he was afraid one sip would knock him out. "What's going on?"

"Just hanging," Uri said. "I'm gonna take over at drums in a minute. You want to stick around?"

"Probably not. I was at Candor all morning so I just want to crash."

Christina grimaced sympathetically. "Sorry about that." She knew how tough it was for him to be around her former faction since his trial. Truth serum was one of the biggest reasons Christina herself had left so she knew how he felt.

Four's small smile expanded. "You guys seen Tris?" Christina and Uriah looked at each other and Four stiffened. "What?" he asked sharply. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, Four." Christina reassured him. "It was just a hard day. Harrison had her sparring for a good portion of the morning so she'd be in top shape when we finally take initiates again. Then the Amity trucks were finally able to make it in this afternoon and since we missed last week's delivery due to the heavy rains, it was all hands on deck to unload." Christina grimaced. "She was practically dozing during dinner. She went home to bed."

Four shook his head. "I'd better get up there and check on her." His eyes narrowed on the bottle. "You guys be careful, okay?"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "We'll be good."

Four actually grinned for a minute and clamped Uriah on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow." He made his way through the remainder of the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the elevator. He was not a fan of taking the elevator but climbing the eleven flights of stairs to their apartment was beyond him at that moment. He stepped in, pushed the button and closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing. Luckily, he reached the floor quickly as most people seemed to either be already home or in the Pit.

He opened his apartment door, shutting it quietly. There was a light on in the kitchen and spilling out of the bedroom. He stood for a moment and based on the silence, he assumed Tris was indeed sleeping. He quietly made his way to the bedroom and stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her. Tris was dressed only in one of his t-shirts and was face down on the bed, snoring lightly. Four smiled. She'd protest if he told her he snored but the gentle buzz coming from her was proof enough. He grabbed a pair of thin cotton pants from the drawer and went into the bedroom to change.

She still hadn't moved when he came out. She was in the middle of the bed so he was going to have to wake her. He sat on the edge and gently brushed a lock of her honey colored hair away from her face. She'd been letting it grow out from the grief inspired cut so it now fell just past her shoulders. He secretly hoped she'd let it grow back to the length it was when he met her. Before they'd gotten together, he'd often dreamed of Tris straddling him, leaning over to kiss him, her thick hair creating a curtain of privacy that blocked out the rest of the world.

Tris stirred as his fingers caressed her cheek. "Mm, you're home," she murmured sleepily.

"Yeah," he said quietly, a small smile playing at his lips. "I heard you had a rough one."

She groaned, still not moving. "I thought you were a tough instructor," she complained. "But Harrison is brutal."

Four chuckled. "As you know, Amar trained me before he died. Harrison trained him."

Tris rolled her eyes. "Great." She stretched, knowing she needed to move to allow her lover into bed but she was so comfortable. "My back is killing me."

"I actually think I can help." Four disappeared into the bathroom and came out a moment later, a brown jar in his hand. He straddled Tris on the bed, lifting her – or rather his – t-shirt.

"What are you, oh." Tris sighed as she felt Tobias's large hands begin to rub something slightly cool on her back. It smelled slightly minty and her skin tingled as he rubbed. "What is that?" she groaned.

Four grinned. "It's a peppermint rub." His hands dug into the small of her back and Tris moaned again. "Amity makes it."

"Why didn't I know about this?" she asked, the pillow doing nothing to mask the pleasure in her voice.

Four chuckled. "Irene hoards it in the medical wing. She said it was the only way she could get Dauntless members to actually go to medical if they were conscious and not bleeding."

Tris made an inarticulate sound and Four found himself smiling broadly. He rubbed the peppermint gel into her skin, loving at how soft it was. He moved down to her legs, his thumbs digging into her thighs, then smoothing his way down her calves. He picked up her small foot in his hand, pressing his thumb into her instep. The moan she gave sounded exactly like the one she gave when he pushed inside her. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Tris halfheartedly swiped at him with her other leg. He grabbed it and gave it the same treatment. He moved his hands up her leg, squeezing, stopping occasionally to dip his hand into the jar for more gel. He stopped to squeeze her buttocks and Tris giggled. Four moved back up her back, raising the t-shirt as he went. Tris raised up slightly allowing him to pull the t-shirt off.

Four dug into her shoulders, wondering how she could carry so much tension there. He brushed aside her hair so he could press his fingers into the back of her neck. The soft sounds of pleasure emanating from her was making it tough for him to concentrate on just trying to get her to relax. He loved the toned muscles of her back, covered by the soft, smooth skin. He frowned slightly as his fingers glided over the scar of her bullet wound. He hated remembering how he'd almost lost her.

He ran his hands up and down the full length of her back, noting each small nick and scar. They'd been through so much, he mused. He never knew, nor would she agree to tell him, if any of the scars on her back had been put there by him when he'd been under the influence of the Erudite sim. It was a thought that occasionally haunted him, woke him up at night, but it was one she would not allow to take root. Whenever he sunk into a brooding silence, she was there, her presence soothing and accepting. He wondered, occasionally, if she realized how often she'd saved him.

Her back muscles were now soft and pliant so he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss between her shoulder blades. He sat back. "How does that feel?" he asked, his voice deep with arousal.

Tris wiggled from under him and turned over. Her eyes had darkened to gray and were full of lust. "I think you forgot the front."

Four grabbed the discarded shirt and wiped his hands. "So I did," he murmured, "what a terrible oversight."


	11. Genetics (T)

_Thank you to all my readers even those who don't like me. You all have been wonderful and your reviews have made me smile. However, I have decided to discontinue posting unedited musings on FFN. I write for fun and for stress relief so when it no longer is that, my philosophy is to move on. I will post musings occasionally on Tumblr and will probably migrate them over to Archive of Our Own. My FFN account will only be for completed stories so they will probably be farther in-between posts._

 _For anyone disappointed in this experiment, I'm truly sorry and I realize it was probably a mistake to post anything unedited. I drew attention I didn't intend and for that, I apologize._

This musing is related to Waking Up in Dauntless in a potential post-Allegiant film fic that it would be nice to write one day. I am **NOT** a scientist so the science is probably wrong. If you are and find the idea intriguing, I'd love for you to contact me with some ideas. Again, I emphasize this is unedited so if there are errors, take heart, it's the last one.

xXx

"So Providence wants some proof, some reassurance that investing resources in Chicago will be worthwhile in the end. If Tris is the only pure example we can provide, they are not willing to invest in what they consider a failed experiment." Tobias finished his briefing to the Council and, as he'd expected, he was met with frowns from around the table.

"I resent having to prove anything to them," Jack said, frowning. "It was their administrator that created this situation."

"I don't see why we need them." Evelyn was resentful and she crossed her arms across her chest, her body language combative. "We are self-sustaining. We have no need for these bureaucratic overseers."

Tobias looked at his mother out of the corner of his eye. "We are 200 years behind them in technology. We may be able to take care of ourselves but we can't fend off the Bureau alone. And to be perfectly honest, we could use their technology." Evelyn frowned at him. Tobias met her gaze evenly, the staring contest only broken when Caleb cleared his throat.

"I think we do have something we can tell Providence," he said. All eyes turned to him and the petite blonde next to him. "Cara has been working to understand the genetic research we downloaded before we sent the ship back." Caleb nudged Cara gently. "Tell them, Cara."

Cara tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat nervously. "I think David has been looking at the DNA the wrong way," she said haltingly. "That is, I think he misinterpreted the results. He, like Jeanine, was so concentrated on proving his own pet theory that he missed what the data was actually telling him."

"What do you mean?" Johanna asked.

"I think he overlooked the significance of Tobias Eaton's genetic results." She typed into the computer and on the screen, two different sets to gene sequences appeared. "Here are their two gene sequences. The left side is Tris, the right, Tobias. As you can see here," Cara pointed, "their results look nearly identical in most places. But, this section," Cara zoomed in on a portion of the picture, "is a particular portion of the sequence that I believe is relevant to divergence. I compared this to the other divergents Jeanine tested. They all look the same. These genes are what determine what we consider to be divergence, or more specifically, serum resistance. They are what the Bureau looked for first to determine if an individual was pure or healed." Cara shook her head, her voice becoming more confident as she talked about her theory. "But I think this sequence is only what causes divergents to be serum resistant and it doesn't have another meaning."

"But I'm not," Tobias blurted out. Tris squeezed his hand and started to protest but he cut her off. "I'm not serum resistant. I wasn't able to break out of Jeanine's enhanced serum."

Cara spoke before Tris could, "You would have eventually."

Tobias shook his head. "No, Tris broke me out."

"Actually she didn't," Cara's voice was gentle, not wanting to seem as though she was insulting Tris. "She merely provided you with a tether to reality; a touchstone, if you will. Her voice was what cut through the simulation so that you could bring yourself out, but she wouldn't have been able to do that unless you weren't genetically predisposed to resistance. If it were as simple as talking someone out of it, she would have been able to break my brother out. But she couldn't," Cara said quietly as she took a ragged breath. "That's because Will wasn't genetically predisposed to resistance."

There was silence in the room. Tris squirmed in her chair, uncomfortable, until Tobias squeezed her hand. She looked up at him and he brought their joined hands to his lips, his eyes telling her he was here for her; she wasn't alone.

Cara shook her head slightly, pushing away unhappy memories. In some ways, she carried as much guilt as Tris; after all, Cara herself had worked with Jeanine on the serum before she knew what Jeanine's intentions were. "Anyway, I think the Bureau was so busy concentrating on an absolutely unchanged genetic code that they missed this." She typed a moment and the picture zoomed in on a portion of Tobias' genetic sequence. "I think they thought these portions here and here were evidence of genetic damage because it is different than Tris', probably different from all other genes they considered pure." She pulled up another sequence. "For comparison, these are old gene sequences, ones genetically manipulated during the Era of Eugenics. I found them in the archives where the Ritter tape was kept. See how different they are from Tris'? But, they are also different from Tobias'. I found this mutation from Tobias in the other divergents Jeanine tested. These genes are not manipulated, nor did they go back to what they were before; they've changed. I think they've evolved. I'm willing to bet we will see some kind of adaptation in every serum resistant person."

It was Tris who broke the silence that had fallen in the room. "What does that mean?"

Cara took another deep breath. "It means Tobias, and others like him, have adapted to the combination of pure and manipulated genes he inherited." She gestured to Tris. "Tris is genetic good luck. At some point, a child will happen to inherit pure genes from both parents and wind up genetically pure. That's simple probability because during the Age of Eugenics, people didn't change every single gene in every single person. But it is too random to fully duplicate or anticipate. The DNA code is far too complex. Tobias is much more likely to be what the Founders expected. Genes don't "heal" and go back. They move forward. Just like they have in Tobias."

She looked around the room at the stunned group. "We can tell Providence we have seen a change in people in Chicago. The experiment was a success." Cara looked directly at Tobias. "You're the future, Tobias. The next step in human evolution."


End file.
